MONUMENT UNVEILED AT MASS GRAVE SITE IN BOGDANOVCI

BOGDANOVCI, Aug 4 (Hina) - A monument was unveiled Wednesday at a mass grave site in Bogdanovci, near Vukovar in eastern Croatia. The monument will be a permanent reminder of the 11 Croatian Homeland war soldiers whose remains had been exhumed from this mass grave two years ago, but also a permanent reminder to all Croatian generations about how the Croatian state had been created, Croatian President's envoy, Ivica Kostovic, said at the unveiling. Kostovic expressed satisfaction with the return of displaced persons and the reconstruction of the village of Bogdanovci whose residents, he said, had the most faith in the Croatian state, despite the problems they were facing. On behalf of the Government, Croatian Homeland War Minister Juraj Njavro called on the gathered people not to allow Homeland War victims to be forgotten, as that would mean they had sacrificed their lives in vain. Speaking about "certain pressures to which Croatia is being subjected recently," Njavro said the international community did not gauge crimes equally, but rather treated them according to certain political moments. After the occupation of this eastern Croatian village, which had a key role in the defence of the towns of Vukovar and Vinkovci during the Homeland war, the Serb aggressor demolished Bogdanovci to the ground. Today, 85 per cent of the houses in the village are now reconstructed and about 400 displaced persons have returned to their homes. Another 400 are awaiting return. (hina) lml